Fourdrinier paper-making machine



June 12, 1923.

L. M. START ET AL FOURDRINIER PAPER MAKING mAcHmE Filed Dec. 6, 1920 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Waness Patented June 12, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LESTE R M. START, OF WORCESTER, STEPHEN IB. STAFFORD, OF OXFORD, ANDJOHN *WARREN VEDDER, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

FOO'RDRINIER PAPER-MAKING MACHINE.

Application filed December 6, 1920. Serial No. 428,475.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that Lns'rnn M. START, STEPHEN B. STAFFORD, and JOHN WARRENVEDDER, citizens of the United States, respectively residing atWorcester, Oxford, and Worcester, in the county of Worcester and Stateof Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Fourdrinier Paper-Marking Machine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the operation of the suction boxes of aFourdrinier machine.

It has been proposed heretofore to move these suction boxes alternatelyin a trans verse direction, but this motion has been oscillatory. Anoscillatory motion has a tendency to interrupt the contact between thesuction boxes and the wire screen on which the pulp is carried and thusbreak the suction.

The principal object of this invention s to provide for operating thesuction boxes in an accurate and positive manner and 1n such a way as toprevent the breaking of the suction in the manner described above. Theinvention also involves improvements in other features as will appear tosecure a smooth and accurate operation as well as durability.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is aside view of a portion of a Fourdrinier machine showing a preferredembodiment of this invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a plan of part of the mach ne on enlarged scale;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 2 of one of saidsuction boxes;

Fig. 4 is an edge view of a portion of one of the suction boxes showingits supporting means, and

Fig. 5 is a side view of the same.

It has been the practice to carry the pulp on a traveling woven wirescreen apron or conveyor 10 under the deckle strap 11 and to and fromthe dandy roll 12 over a series of suction boxes 13. Each of thesesuction boxes is provided at the top with a perforated board 14 overwhich the woven wire eccentric shaft 20 is kept in constant rotation. Itis provided with eccentrics 21 and 22 arranged alternately, theeccentrics 21 being all set at the same 'point so that each alternatesuction box will move in the same way and simultaneously. The othereccentries 22 are set at 180 from the eccentrics 21.

Each eccentric is located to bear in the two halves of a pair of blocks23 capable of sliding up and down in an eccentric strap 24. This strapis connected directly to the proper suction box by an arm 25 which isbolted thereto or otherwise secured in position. This sliding block23 isprovided so that the vertical motion of the eccentric will not betransmitted in any degree to the suction box. Means is provided wherebyhorizontal motion will be transmitted to the box and its motion will beconfined to movement in a horizontal plane. For this purpose we provideeach of the arms 25 with a pair of vertical bolts 27 secured to the armsby nuts or in any other desired way. These bolts are shown as passingthrough the arms 25 which are bifurcated for that purpose. Each of thesebolts has on the bottom a head or enlargement 28 into which passes ashaft or stud 29. A single shaft passes through a pair of these headsfor operation on a single suction box. Any desired kind of bearings canbe employed for the shaft 29 in these heads.

On this shaft are located two rollers 30. These rollers rest on a pairof horizontal tracks 31 mounted on the floor or on the frame of themachine as may be desired. Between these two tracks is located an upwardprojection 32 extending longitudinally with respect to the tracks ortransversely with respect to the direction of feed of the Fourdriniermachine itself. Against the edge of this projection bears a thrusthearing 33 of any ordinary or desired construction mounted on the shaft29, adjacent to one of the rollers 30 and in contact therewith. Thisthrust bearing takes the thrust caused by the passage of the Wire 10across the suction box and prevents undue wear and displacement of thesuction box by the action of the traveling wire conveyor. The suction,boxes rest on rollers 35 at their opposite ends. If the ends supportedby the tracks 31 were capable of any vertical motion the suction boxeswould swing up and come down about the centers of the rollers 35 aspivots, but this is prevented by our inventlon.

It will be seen that the movement of the suction boxes can be regulatedto any desired degree of nicety by this means and that the wear on thebearing parts is reduced materially so that a machine should run a longtime without adjustment, and on account of eliminating the oscillatingmotion and substituting a true rectilinear and reciprocating motion thetrouble that has been experienced by the breaking of the suction isavoided.

Although we have illustrated and described only a single form of theinvention we are aware of the fact that modifications can be madetherein by any person skilled in the art without departing from thescope of the invention as expressed in the claims. Therefore, We do notWish to be limited to all the details of construction herein shown anddescribed but what we do ,claim is 1. In a Fourdrinier machine, thecombination with the pulp supporting and feeding wire cloth conveyor, ofa series of suction boxes over the surface of which said wire cloth isadapted to move constantly in one direction, means for imparting to saidsuction boxes a reciprocating motion in a straight line transverse tothe direction of motion of the wire cloth, a roller located beyond theend of each suction box, and means for supporting each suction box fromone of the rollers.

2. In a Fourdrinier machine, the combination with the pulp supportingand feeding Wire cloth conveyor, of a series of suction boxes over thesurface of-which said conveyor is adapted to move, a shaft, eccentricsarranged thereon, a pair of blocks for each eccentric, and an armconnected with each suction box and having ways thereon in which saidblocks are mounted to slide freely up and down for transmitting onlytheir horizontal motion to the respective suction boxes.

3. In a F ourdrinier machine, the combination with the pulp supportingand feeding wire cloth conveyor, of a series of suction boxes over thesurface of which said conveyor is adapted to move constantly in onedirection, a shaft, eccentrics arranged thereon in two series, those ofeach series being set oppositely to those of the other series andarranged alternately with respect thereto, a pair of blocks for eacheccentric, and an arm rigidly connected with each suction box and havingvertical ways thereon in which said blocks are mounted to slide freelyin a vertical direction for transmitting their horizontal motion to therespective suction boxes.

4. In a Fourdrinier machine, the combination with the pulp supportingand feeding wire cloth conveyor, of a series of suction boxes over thesurface of which said wire cloth is adapted to move constantly in onedirection, means for imparting to said suction boxes a reciprocatingmotion in a straight line transverse to the direction of motion of thewire cloth, an arm extending beyond the end of each suction box andhaving an eccentric strap connected.

with one of said eccentrics, a horizontal track below said arm, a rolleron the track, and means for supporting sald arm from the roller at apoint beyond the end of the suction box.

5. In a Fourdrinier machine, the combination with a movable wire clothconveyor, of suction boxes under the surface of said wire clothconveyor, means for imparting to said suction boxes a reciprocatingmotion in a straight line in a plane parallel to the plane of saidconveyor, eccentric straps connected with each of said suction boxes andwith said eccentrics, a horizontal track be-v low the end of eachsuction box, a roller on the track, and vertically adjustable means forsupporting the end of said'suction box from the roller.

6. In a Fourdrinier machine, the combination with the pulp supportingand feeding wire cloth conveyor, of a series of suction boxes over thesurface of which said wire cloth is adapted to move constantly in onedirection, a shaft having eccentrics thereon for imparting to saidsuction boxes a reciprocating motion in a straight line transverse tothe direction of motion of the wire cloth and in a plane parallel to theplane thereof, an arm projecting from one end of each suction boxrigidly connected therewith and having a vertical sliding connectionwith 'its respective eccentric, a pair of" rods extendin downwardly fromsaid arm, a horiz onta shaft or stud carried by said rods, a pair ofrollers on said shaft or stud, a pair of horizontal tracks for saidrollers having a projection between them, and a thrust bearing on theshaft or stud engaging said projection and one of said rollers.

7. In a Fourdrinier machine, the combination with the wire clothconveyor, of suction boxes, a shaft having eccentrics there- On forimparting to said suction boxes a reciprocating motion, one end'o. eachsuction en ging said projection and one of said box having a verticalsliding connection rofi rs. with its respective eccentric, rodsextending .In testimony whereof we have hereunto from said arm, a shaftor stud carried b flfiixe 0111 Signatures- 5 said rods, rollers on saidshaft or stu LESTER M. START.

tracks for said rollers having a projection, STEPHEN B. STAFFORD. and athrust bearing on the shaft or stud JOHN WARREN VEDDER.

